Through no fault of her own, Aaliyah’s situation plunged from sublime to hopeless then up into Tabby’s Place, where “hopeless” is eradicated as a matter of insistence and persistence.
Aaliyah is discovering exactly what that means, even as she exemplifies the meanings (yes, multiples) of her name.
Usually, it takes a little while for an individual cat to acclimate after being introduced to a suite. There are spaces to be explored, activities and schedules to learn, and suitemates and people to meet, greet, and make decisions about. For one, short-haired cloud of grey, the time span from “hello” to “at home” was unbelievably fast. It began with her discovery of the ramp that goes up to the tube that leads into the solarium. Aaliyah does not seem to have made it as far as the tube. She found a happy space on the flat section that cuts across the middle of the suite. It was an inescapable outcome.
There are many words and ways to say “meant to be.” Additional definitions of Aaliyah’s name include rising, going up, ascent, and exalted. No wonder she found herself climbing the steps up to the ramp where she found comfort and cuddles in the accepting, furry snuggliness that is Juel. In the company of that fine gentlecat and one shy, sweet Osprey is where Aaliyah first proved her ninja talents to yours truly.
Having “made aliyah” (where a ladder stands in for a trek and a ramp stands in for Jerusalem), going up to see Juel for a spa session led to my first meeting with Aaliyah via ninja “attack.” That is to say, my arms – stretched out to brush Juel – were suddenly filled with softness and sweetness in the form of a purring grey cat. That was “hello.” After a few moments and a couple of pets, Aaliyah rolled over a few times, purred more, and licked my arm just above the elbow. That was “at home.”
Now, Aaliyah doesn’t restrict herself to loving only one human and one cat. She loves many, if not every, of both species. Even so, her tolerance of Osprey’s fandom as pertains to her tail is not always accepted happily. She can be swift, albeit fairly gentle, in correcting a rambunctious young cat into behavior more befitting Aaliyah’s station.
Luckily for one young cat, Aaliyah is not one to hold grudges. Osprey, who is a little black ninja-in-training (his sneak attacks are more shy than sly), is always quickly welcomed back into the fold until he forgets himself again (Tails! So tempting! Especially luscious long, grey ones.).
Embodying welcome and warmth, Aaliyah provides an excellent example of how to be cat to other ramp-dwellers. Since her ascent to near-ceiling heights, Napoleon has been watching feline-human interactions ever more closely. He has even been seen settled slightly further down the ramp than usual – away from the tube entrance – and within easier reach of scritching fingers, which he truly does appreciate.
Somehow, despite Aaliyah’s demands for attention and both Osprey and Napoleon contending with their shyness, Allen has been convinced to sniff an offered hand without immediately escaping into the safety of the tube. Newer to the suite, Ella watches too.
The watching is important. That Aaliyah gives her suitemates lessons in how to interact with each other and with humans is, as her name indicates, sublime. Still, it isn’t necessarily wise to try to predict which residents are most likely to make themselves “at home” in a forever home of their own. Yet, with Aaliyah, it is difficult not to make outrageous statements. Excepting that she is clad in grey rather than the traditional black, Aaliyah is a ninja of the highest order. She immediately infiltrates the hearts of all who say “hello.” With an offer like that, made openly and warmly with everyone who spends a moment with her, it is difficult to imagine any outcome aside from Aaliyah “going up” a staircase, in step with the family that soon will be her very own.